To Relight the World

Lemon had a hard time falling asleep that night. Questions rushed through her head, filling her thoughts and driving sleep away. Who was that pony at the meuseum? How did he know her mother? And why, in sweet Celestia’s name, did she sense she knew that stallion? Lemon knew these questions were unimportant, but still, they stuck in her head as if they were.

Earlier that day, after she had gotten home, she asked her mother about ever meeting a grey stallion. Her mother merely laughed and said that she had met plenty of grey stallions in her life. When Lemon had described the stallion, however, her mother became agitated.

“Lemon, dear,” she said warily, as if something was wrong. “Why are you asking me this?”

Her mother looked around, searching for her father, but he left earlier that hour for a trip to Cloudsdale. Lemon Cake looked at her mother, and just answered that she was curious.

Her mother sighed, and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Good,” she said, quickly regaining her cheerful demeanor. She had then quickly sent Lemon to bed, stating that it was much too late for an earth pony such as herself to be awake.

Lemon tossed and turned, her thoughts jumbled in a mix of random question without answers. It was a t that moment she realized she was unbearably thirsty. She got up, and quickly walked out of her room. As she stepped into the hallway outside her bedroom, Lemon felt a cold breeze, and shivered. Somepony must have left the window open, she thought, and continued down the stairs to the living room.
On the wall at the very end of the room, above the fireplace, there was a large painting hanging crooked. Lemon went over and set it straight, and took a moment to admire the imagery. The painting showed two ponies, the original Mr. and Mrs. Cake, smiling warmly at two infants, who were fast asleep. Lemon smiled, always fond of the painting. There was so much happiness in the two ponies faces, she thought. Their happiness as pure and limitless, as if nothing could put them down. In rough times, all Lemon had needed to do was look at that picture, and she’d be ready to move onwards. Below the painting, etched into a small, brass plaque, were the words of her family: “The Tao gives us strength.”

The Tao. That word was quite prevalent in her family. It was an expression commonly used by the followers of Pinkie Pie, who had long ago established what was now considered to be the third largest religion in the nation. Lemon herself had never exactly been the most religious of ponies, having seen the trouble it could cause. The Alicornians were always arguing with the flowers of the Humble One over what way was the correct way, while the Discordians merely sat back and laughed their heads off. No, religion wasn’t something Lemon was entirely into, but she was accepting of it. Her parents had taught her to respect everyone, no matter what they believed, and she tried to follow that through as best as she could.

Lemon moved on into the kitchen, and grabed a cup of water. She drank it up, and filled another before noticing something quite peculiar. The air had grown increasingly cold in the last few minutes, nearing what Lemon thought to be below freezing. She, shivered confused as to what could be happening. It was the middle of the spring, for crying out loud, and yet it felt like the middle of winter in there!

Lemon raised her cup to drink again, and dropped it as she saw the water inside had frozen solid. Something was terribly, terribly wrong in the house, and Lemon knew it. She turned around, and saw a light blue glow coming from her parent’s bed room. fearing for her mother, she rushed up the stairs, and burst into the bedroom, her heart pounding.

The air was as cold as ice, and the walls of the room were covered in frost. On the bed in the center of the room, her mother lay, blank faced, staring at something unseen in horror. Lemon ran to her, but stopped as she saw the thin layer of ice covering her body. Lemon stepped back, aghast, and quickly turned around as she felt a cold breeze enter the room. As she did, she saw a sight that made her freeze in her tracks.

Before her was a blue mist, glowing with and unearthly light. It hovered in the air for a moment before slowly condensing into a shape. Lemon watched in horror as the mist took the form of… something. It looked like a pony, but it was so much larger than that. Lemon remembered the pictures she had seen of Celestia in the prime of her life, and this thing was just as tall. Its coat was translucent bluish color, and its mane drifted in the air on its own, like a cold vapor. Frost formed at the spot where it stood, and its eyes glowed intensely as it stared at Lemon.

Lemon screamed as the phantom approached, and without thinking she dashed through the open doorway. Behind, her, she heard an unearthly howl, like something out of a horror movie. She dashed down the stairs and burst through the door. She looked behind for a moment, only to see the creature descending the staircase faster than she had. She ran, faster than before, down the street. The marble buildings of Canterlot flew past her as she ran, blurred pillars of white in the night. Lemon screamed out, hoping to wake someone up, but the only response she got was her own echoing scream and the wails of her pursuer.

Lemon wasn’t sure how long she had been running, but she knew it wasn’t enough. She continued onwards, the adrenaline pumping through her veins almost as intensely as the burning sensation she felt in her legs. She turned countless corners, passing dozens of monuments as she did. she saw the temple to the sun pass by in an instant, and didn’t bother to stop and look for anyone near there. She could still hear the cries of the beast, and the air behind her felt as if a snowstorm was chasing her.

Turning one last corner, Lemon found herself at the Museum she had been to earlier that same day. She wasted no time, however, and continued to run. The museum was already closed, and searching for help there would be no use. She would have to take the subway if she wanted to escape this creature, and the next one was only a block away.

Lemon was about to turn the next corner, when she slammed into something soft. She heard a wheezing gasp, and starred up to see a grey figure glaring at her. It was the Grey stallion from earlier!

Recognizing the filly, the stallion dropped his menacing glare, and smiled. “Why, hello there, Lemon,” he said. “It’s a bit late for a stroll, don’t you think?”

Lemon tried to push the stallion out of the way, but he merely caught her and held her still.
“Hey there,” he said, concerned. “what’s the matter, now?”

A deafening roar echoed through the streets, and the beast turned the corner, stopping to stare at the two ponies. The grey stallion furrowed his eyebrows, and glared at the beast.

“Oh,” he said, as if he wasn’t surprised at all. “That’s what’s wrong.”

The beast at the end of the side walk roared, and from the billowing frost around it a massive spike of ice formed. It hung in the air for a moment, before launching through the air at an incredible speed, aimed directly for Lemon. Lemon screamed, clutching the stallion and preparing for what she was sure would be the end of her.

There was a loud shattering noise, like glass breaking apart, and Lemon opened her eyes. Looking behind her, she saw a massive rock wall standing in front of her and the stallion, protecting them from harm. Glancing up at the stallion himself, Lemon noticed his eyes, which were aglow with green light.

The rock wall slid back into the earth, and the beast roared once more. It appeared more concerned now than it did determined, and the coolness of the air had gone down a bit. The grey stallion grinned, and his eyes grew brighter than before.

“Now it’s my turn,” he said, and stomped the ground.

There was a cracking sound as the pavement ripped apart, a giant root shooting up from the earth. It was longer than most tree trunks, and thicker than two ponies combined. It wrapped around the beast, who wailed in fright. It tried to free itself, but to no avail. There was sickening crack as the root squeezed tightly, and the beast went silent. It exploded into a cloud of mist, which soon faded away into nothingness.

Lemon was frozen in shock, too frightened to say anything, her mouth ajar. The grey stallion merely chuckled, and spoke once more.

“All these years, and I still haven’t lost my touch” he said, slowly breaking out into laughter.

Lemon stared up at him, and fainted, falling to the ground. The stallion looked down at her, and sighed.

“Poor girl,” he said. “I wish I had had bit more time to prepare for this.”

Picking the filly up, the stallion walked away. He’d just have to explain things when Lemon woke up. How he’d be able to that, though… that was a bit more difficult.
Lemon cake woke up, her head pounding. She groaned as she got up, looking around the room she was in. It was an old, stone room, with a fireplace to the right wall and a row of bookcases to the left. Torches hung from the ceiling, illuminating what would have been a dark and foreboding setting, giving it instead a tired, old look, as if the room had been built long ago, in an age long forgotten.
Looking at her bed, Lemon noticed it was far different from the one she used at home. The sheets were made of the softest silk, dyed crimson red and laced with gold thread. The pillows were made of the same material, as the the blankets, though they were folded in a pile at the foot of the bed.
Lemon got up out of the bed, stumbling and falling as she did so. Her vision was still wonky for some reason, most likely from hitting the floor too hard when she fainted. Stumbling out of the room, she made it into the next, which was much larger than the last.
The Grey stallion from before was waiting for her, patiently sitting in a well cushioned chair by a roaring fire place. He sipped some tea from a large mug he held, and smiled at Lemon.
“Glad to see you’re awake, dear,” he said, gesturing to a seat opposite him. “why don’t you take a seat? You must still exhausted from last night’s ordeal.”
At the mention of the previous night, Lemon became incredibly dizzy. She quickly sat down in the chair, closing her eyes and taking a moment to catch her breath.
“My… my mother,” she said, staring at the stallion intently. “Is she ok?”
The stallion’s smile grew even wider. “Now that’s the spirit! You’ve just managed to escape the clutches of murderous windigo agent, and all you can think about is your mother’s safety. Why, you’re showing all the signs of your ancestors! Next thing we know, you’ll be hopping around the place just like Pink-“
“My mother,” said lemon, interrupting the stallion before he could finish his sentence. “Is. She. OK?”
The stallion sighed, and rubbed his forehead. “She’s as ok as anypony can be after they’ve been frozen solid,” he said. “But she’s alive. In a coma, yes, but still alive.”
Lemon gasped. Her mother was alive? She breathed a sigh of relief at the thought.
“How long will it last?” she asked.
“About a month,” said the Stallion. “Doctors could have her out of it any second now, but for rehabilitation purposes, it’s often best to let the body sort these things out on its own, without the aid of magic and medicinal herbs.”
“Thank you,” Lemon said, glad to know her mother was safe. Still, she had no idea as to where she was. “Who… Who are you,” she asked, “and where am I?”
“OH, I’m so sorry,” the stallion said, blushing with embarrassment. “I never thought to introduce myself. I am Magnus the great, archmage of Canterlot and advisory to her majesty. As to where we are, this is one of the many guest rooms in the royal castle. I do believe, in fact, that its room number 365, on the eighteenth floor of the castle. Yes, that must be it. How else would we be so high up?”
Lemon laughed, thinking Magnus was just joking with her. to be sure, she walked over to the window, pulled away the curtains and looked outside. If they were really on the eighteenth floor, then they’d-
Lemon stumbled backwards, knocking over her chair in the process. “th- th- the CITY!” she gasped, her heart pounding with the revelation of how high she was in the air. “Why is it so far below us?!”
“Because we’re on the eighteenth floor of the royal caslte, situated on Mt. Canterlot,” Magnus said. “I’ve already explained this to you not five minutes ago. Were you not listening.”
“We- we’re in the castle,” Lemon spurted out. “You were telling the truth, and… and … WE’RE IN THE ROYAL BUCKING CASTLE!”
“Whoa, now,” Magnus said, chuckling. “Try and watch your language. You’re still just a filly, you know.”
“Why… why am I here?” Lemon asked, realizing something was up. “Why aren’t I at a police station, or at one of my friend’s houses?”
“Because it’s not safe there, of course,” Magnus replied, getting out of his chair and walking over to a bookshelf behind him. “If one windigo was after you, then there’s bound to be others, and it’s just not safe to have you spend your time somewhere as accessible as a police station. Besides, we have much more important things to do than cower in the corner all day.”
Magnus pulled a book on the shelf, a copy of the Human Conspiracy: What They Aren’t Telling You by Lyra Heartstrings, and stepped back as the bookcase slid open, revealing the entrance to a long hallway. “Come on,” he said, waiting for Lemon to accompany him.
Lemon stood, frozen by the window. “This is bit too much for me…” she said, glancing around the room. Things were happening way too fast. She only woke up fifteen minutes ago!
“I know,” said Magnus. “But we really need to get this done as fast as possible. Besides, don’t you want to know why that windigo targeted you?”
Hesitating, Lemon walked forwards. She did want to know what all of this was about, and the sooner it was over, the better. Together, the two walked into the bright hallway. The bookcase slip shut6 behind them and the torches that lit the room went out, leaving only the darkness, and the pale light of the full moon.